National Newswatch

Topics

Rachel Aiello

Liberals reject Poilievre pitch to amend pipeline motion, still plan to vote against ‘trainwreck’ proposal

The federal Liberals have swiftly rejected Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s pitch to amend his own pipeline motion, declaring ahead of the vote that the government will be voting against both the amendment and the main motion. “They obviously know that their position is improvised. It’s a trainwreck and cannot pass this Parliament,” Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon said ahead of...

Stephanie Taylor

U.S. ambassador 'encouraged' by Carney's energy pact with Alberta, expects more oil shipments to U.S.

Pete Hoekstra said any deal the U.S. strikes with Canada will include oil, expecting that ‘there would be more oil capacity, production and export opportunities down to the United States.’ The U.S. ambassador to Canada says he is “encouraged” by the energy deal Prime Minister Mark Carney struck with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, saying he believes it will lead to...

Sean Boynton

If Trump tariffs fertilizer, U.S. lacks reserves ‘to meet domestic demand’

Canada’s fertilizer industry says U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of “very severe” tariffs will “jeopardize” North American agricultural supply chains if they’re imposed, warning the U.S. doesn’t have enough potash reserves to replace Canadian imports. Trump said Monday while announcing billions in government aid for American farmers hurting from higher prices — including on fertilizer — that he may tariff...

Abigail Bimman

Federal government tables bill on femicide, deepfakes

New federal legislation would deem murders motivated by hate or femicide first-degree offences, as well as make it illegal to distribute deepfake sexual images without someone’s consent. The wide-ranging 158-page bill called the “Protecting Victims Act” aims to tackle both intimate partner violence and protect kids. It attempts to follow through on some 2025 Liberal campaign promises as well as...

Allison Jones

Ford defends funding to company now in the midst of police investigation

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is defending the funding his government gave to a company now under police investigation after the province identified "irregularities." The government asked the Ontario Provincial Police last month to look at the results of an audit on Keel Digital Solutions and the police said Monday that they have now launched an investigation. The company has been...

Polls

Nik Nanos

Liberals 39, Conservatives 38, NDP 10 as concern about jobs/the economy on the uptick. (Nanos)

After an initial Liberal lift immediately following the federal budget, the race has returned to a statistical Liberal-Conservative coin toss as Canadians increasingly become concerned about jobs/the economy. This has occurred in an environment where concern about Trump/the US has significantly dropped in the tracking.

Nik Nanos

A slim majority of Canadians and British Columbians would support or somewhat support building a new pipeline from Alberta to BC, even if BC opposes it or if the oil tanker ban is lifted.

More than five in ten Canadians support or somewhat support both building a new pipeline from Alberta to BC, even if BC opposes it (56%) and lifting the ban on oil tanker traffic in BC to support a new pipeline (55%), while about a third of Canadians oppose or somewhat oppose each (37% each). Residents of the Prairies are twice...

Opinion

Steven Guilbeault

I quit Mark Carney’s cabinet. This is what I hope happens next

It’s a grand bargain that feels like a fire sale. That at least is how some have characterized the Memorandum of Understanding on energy that was signed late last month by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

John Ivison

Judges suing Ottawa for fatter salaries are shameless

Whether the government’s argument will hold water, only a Federal Court judge, who stands to gain $28,000 by saying it doesn’t, can know

News

Joe Castaldo

Microsoft vows to protect ‘digital sovereignty’ in $7.5-billion Canadian data-centre expansion

Microsoft Corp. MSFT-T will spend more than $7.5-billion in Canada over the next two years as part of a data-centre expansion, while vowing to keep data within Canadian borders and resist any orders to discontinue services to government customers that could arise during uncertain geopolitical times. The company’s president and vice-chair Brad Smith is in Ottawa Tuesday to meet with...

Jorge Barrera

Next year's Mexico trade mission may be biggest ever launched by Canada

The federal government is laying the groundwork for a Team Canada trade mission to Mexico next year that may become one of the largest it has ever deployed to a foreign country, says Cameron MacKay, the Canadian ambassador to Mexico. MacKay says hundreds of Canadian businesses have applied to be part of the mission, which is set for February and...

Politician's Pen

Steven Guilbeault

I quit Mark Carney’s cabinet. This is what I hope happens next

Jamil Jivani

Young men have a stake in Canada's future. They should be heard

If we don't build bridges to get demoralized young men involved in the democratic process, extremists may capitalize on their frustration

Opinion (Continued) More

Tasha Kheiriddin

Bill C-9 a test of Carney's willingness to stand against hate

The battle over Bill C-9, the federal government’s proposed anti-hate law, has blown up a cultural divide that not only pits Quebec against the rest of Canada, but seriously questions Ottawa’s willingness to tackle hate crimes. If Prime Minister Mark Carney gets the balance wrong, he risks both empowering hatemongers and fanning the flames of Quebec separatism — at a...

Aaron Wherry

Can Carney still put together a credible climate plan? Does it matter?

Ten months before he resigned from Mark Carney's cabinet, Steven Guilbeault vouched for the then Liberal leadership contender. "I've known Mark for many years. We've worked together on issues of green energy, transition, fighting climate change and the role of the financial sector in fighting climate change," Guilbeault told reporters when he endorsed Carney's candidacy to lead the party in...

Supriya Dwivedi

Conservatives choose rage-bait over real debate on hate speech

The Liberal government has agreed to amend the Criminal Code to remove religious exemptions from the country’s hate speech laws, hoping to secure the Bloc Québécois’ support for its Bill C-9. This has prompted outcries from faith communities as well as the Official Opposition: that the move is an assault on freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Currently, the...

Don Newman

Trump’s NSS: A Warning to the World, a Threat to Canada

Anyone who thought negotiating a productive new Canada-United States trade deal with the Trump administration was in the offing will have been thoroughly disabused of that idea after reading the National Security Strategy (NSS) released late last week in Washington. The NSS — the production of which from the executive branch is mandated by federal law — is also, in...

Andrew Phillips

Trump’s global security vision means problems for Canada

Coming from another president, there are parts of the United States’ new “National Security Strategy” that would be welcome. It’s well past time, for example, that the U.S. acknowledged it cannot and should not try to lead the “free world” and impose its system on other countries. Barack Obama, no less, took steps down that road more than a decade...

Andrew Perez

Mark Carney’s Liberals are building a new Canadian voter coalition

For all the noise that has accompanied Mark Carney’s first seven months as prime minister, one fact is now impossible to deny: the prime minister is rebuilding the federal Liberal Party into a modern, centrist, pro-growth political coalition — one that Canada has not seen in a generation. Donald Trump’s protectionism and the changing global trading order have no doubt...

John Ivison

Carney’s quandary — political will blocked by bureaucratic won’t

The panel’s discussion focused on the ability of Mark Carney’s government to deliver on its agenda. Article content Lang, a former chief of staff to two Liberal defence ministers and now acting director at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University, pointed out that Carney faces the frustrations of attempting to move at speeds the bureaucracy was not designed...

Kerry Buck

Trump’s National Security Strategy is hostile to Canada – and the democratic world

Without much fanfare, the U.S. government has launched what could be a seismic shift in American foreign policy with its new National Security Strategy. And for Canada, the impact of the NSS could be profound. We already know Donald Trump’s approach to relations with Canada has complicated our economic and security environment. But the NSS tries make coherent a foreign...

Althia Raj

Mark Carney is quietly giving sweeping new powers to his ministers

Hidden in the federal government’s 634-page omnibus bill C-15, the Budget Implementation Act, is a measure that has so far escaped scrutiny. Under the pretext of regulatory efficiency, Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to grant cabinet ministers the power to exempt any individual or company from any federal law on the books — except for the Criminal Code — for...

Conrad Black

Mark Carney's coup de grâce — forcing Guilbeault out of cabinet

The activist former environment minister's departure is great news for this country. Readers will recall that I was censorious of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s histrionic emulation of Winston Churchill during the election campaign, lacking only the siren-suit, the cigar and the eloquence, as he promised to lead Canada with raised elbows “in the fields and in the streets,” as he...

Jeremy Kinsman

Trump’s ‘National Security Strategy’ is a Dystopian Propaganda Stunt

On December 4th, the Trump Administration released its U.S. National Security Strategy. As with so many institutions, norms, and pillars of American democracy, the first NSS of the second Trump presidency represents a significant departure from all the presidential NSSes that have preceded it. Its foreword by Donald Trump describes the document as a “road map to ensure that America...

Lorrie Goldstein

Guilbeault playing separatist card to oppose Alberta pipeline

Steven Guilbeault’s claim the federal government’s memorandum of understanding with Alberta to build an oil pipeline to B.C. is fuelling Quebec separatism is nonsense. In interviews with Bloomberg News and the CBC last week after he quit the federal cabinet, Guilbeault attempted to toss a grenade into Canadian unity by arguing that by signing the MOU with Alberta Premier Danielle...

Robyn Urback

Liberals should get real with Canadians: Pharmacare, for now, is dead

Can you mourn something that never existed? Like the idea of a happy marriage when you knew all along you settled for the first person who accepted your advances? Or the daydream of a life of luxury and indulgence, which feels possible while you’re holding a lottery ticket, but vanishes as soon as the numbers are called? What about the...

Justin Ling

Enough is enough, Canada. Just buy the damned jets

Canada has spent 28 years trying to buy a new fighter jet: the federal government made a decision, then unmade it, then made it again. We’ve already spent more than a billion dollars on this thing, and 1,500 Canadian jobs have been created to build it. It’s the tent pole of our plans to defend ourselves and co-operate with our...

Andrew Coyne

Donald Trump – and American democracy – is getting exponentially worse

I wish I could say I told you so. A point I have tried to make over the last year or so is that Donald Trump can only get worse: that however corrupt or incompetent or dictatorial or treasonous or insane he may appear at any given moment, it will inevitably come to be seen as a relative golden age...

Gary Mason

BC Conservatives have been given a new lease on life with John Rustad’s resignation

One of the more infamous scenes in the movie sketch comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail involved a sword fight between King Arthur and the Black Knight. Almost immediately, things do not go well for the Black Knight. He quickly loses a limb, then another. Despite his losses he defiantly fights on: “Just a flesh wound … I’m invincible.”...

Susan Delacourt

Mark Carney’s embrace of Liberal enemies could be a good thing for all of us

Progressive-leaning folks are having a hard time watching Mark Carney link arms with the same forces that spent the past decade demonizing the Liberals. Whether it’s making a deal with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith or playing to the “bro” culture with all the sports talk and walking back feminist foreign policy, it seems like the prime minister is determined to...

Dave Sawyer, Dale Beugin

How to fix Alberta’s broken carbon market

Lawrence Martin

It’s turning-point time for the Conservatives and NDP – but don’t expect much

The leadership of two of our three major parties is in the course of being determined. It’s a big moment in the political trajectory of the country. The NDP leadership race could well decide the fate of that party – whether it revives itself or is reduced to a relic. The latter would see Canada devolving into a hollowed-middle, two-party...

Konrad Yakabuski

Liberals nervously await the effects of Steven Guilbeault’s resignation on the party’s Quebec fortunes

The Montreal riding of Laurier–Sainte-Marie is ground zero for Quebec’s media elites and the beating heart of the province’s cultural industries. Not surprisingly, it skews progressive and has reliably sent left-leaning MPs to Ottawa for more than three decades. Last week’s resignation of local MP Steven Guilbeault from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet generated a minor earthquake in Laurier—Sainte-Marie whose...

Althia Raj

Did Mark Carney give away the Liberals’ advantage on climate change?

Whether he intended to or not, Prime Minister Mark Carney cast aside a tenet of the Liberals’ brand last Thursday when he signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alberta that jeopardizes the Grits’ work addressing climate change. For more than two decades, the Liberal Party of Canada told voters that it was the party that not only cared about...

Andrew Coyne

The Canada-Alberta deal is good policy, and probably good politics, too

Everyone could find something to hate about the energy agreement – technically, the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding – Mark Carney and Danielle Smith struck last week. For the right, the conditions on federal support for a heavy oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast – notably, a tightened provincial carbon pricing regime – are too onerous, if not altogether...

Fen Osler Hampson

Our Best CUSMA Strategy: Canadian Cool

With hearings underway in Washington regarding the future of the CUSMA, U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade representative has signaled that the administration might withdraw completely unless it secures a “good deal.” To rattle our cages further, Trump recently reiterated his tired accusation that Canada and Mexico have taken advantage of the United States like just about every other country, threatening...

Geoff Norquay

How Mark Carney is Realigning Canada’s Political System

On the day last May when Mark Carney and his newly elected cabinet were sworn in, the Prime Minister promised, “Our government will deliver its mandate for change with urgency and determination. We’ve been elected to do a job. We intend to do it quickly and forcefully.” At the time, that sounded like a solid recipe for governing, but it’s...

News (Continued) More

Erik Hertzberg

Budget Watchdog Regrets Calling Canada’s Fiscal Position ‘Stupefying’

Canada’s budget watchdog is walking back his most charged criticisms of Mark Carney's fiscal policy, but says the government's decision to drop its debt-to-GDP guideline is a major shift that warrants more public debate.

Catherine Lévesque

Conservatives hope to expose cracks in Liberal caucus with oil pipeline motion

Conservatives are planning to force a debate and a vote in the House of Commons Tuesday about the recent deal struck by Ottawa and Alberta to build a new oil pipeline on the West Coast, in hopes of exposing divisions inside the Liberal caucus. The motion, brought forward by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, calls on MPs to “take note” of...

Ryan Cooke

Canada 'continues to monitor' U.S. boat strikes in Caribbean as questions swirl and allies squirm

The federal government says it is keeping a close eye on lethal strikes by American forces on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, while continuing with operations in the region. Canada has conducted Operation Caribbe — an anti-drug trafficking mission in partnership with the United States Coast Guard — since 2006. The Department of National Defence says that mission has...

Mark Rendell, Steven Chase

U.S. and Canada discussed tariff-rate quota for steel before trade talks halted

Before trade talks abruptly ended in October, Ottawa and Washington were discussing a U.S. proposal that would have lowered tariffs on most Canadian steel exports to the United States while effectively capping the amount of steel heading south across the border. U.S. trade negotiators proposed a tariff-rate quota system that would introduce two tiers of levies based on historical levels...

Jim Bronskill

Federal government to table bill to protect children, address gender-based violence

Justice Minister Sean Fraser will introduce legislation today that aims to better protect children and address gender-based violence. The Justice Department is touting the measures as "generational reforms" to the Criminal Code to protect victims and keep children safe from predators. In their spring election platform, the Liberals promised to crack down on sexual violence and intimate partner violence.

Omar Sachedina

Bombardier CEO hasn’t ‘checked the numbers’ when it comes to Saab’s 10K jobs pledge

As Bombardier showcased its newest jet, the company CEO says he hasn’t “checked the math” on Saab’s claim its fighter jets would bring 10,000 jobs to Canada. The Canadian aerospace giant revealed what it calls “the world’s fastest business jet” on Monday, as they celebrated the entry-into-service of the Bombardier Global 8000 business aircraft at its facility in Mississauga, Ont...

Sarah Ritchie

Liberals say they'll vote against Conservative motion declaring support for pipeline

Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson says a Conservative motion declaring support for a pipeline is a cynical ploy designed to divide MPs. The House of Commons is set to vote later today on a motion that says MPs support construction of a pipeline to carry Alberta bitumen to the coast, along with an "appropriate amendment" to legislation banning most oil...

Sean Boynton

Trump threatens ‘severe’ tariffs on Canadian fertilizer ‘if we have to’

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he may impose “very severe tariffs” on fertilizer from Canada “if we have to” in order to bolster domestic production. Trump made the comment while taking questions from reporters during a roundtable event at the White House where he announced a US$12-billion tariff relief fund for American farmers, who have been facing rising costs...

Stephanie Ha

Carney government to vote against Conservative motion on pipeline support

The Liberal government will vote against a Conservative motion on Tuesday that calls for the federal government to support a bitumen pipeline, a senior government source tells CTV News. The opposition motion, which is non-binding, explicitly calls for the support of “one or more pipelines enabling the export of at least one million barrels a day of low-emission Alberta bitumen...

Isaac Callan, Colin D'Mello

OPP launch investigation into company that accessed controversial training fund

Police in Ontario have opened a formal investigation into a company that received government money, including funds from the controversial skills development fund, after being forwarded the results of an audit by the province.

Tonda MacCharles

Mark Carney wants the 2028 Francophonie summit to be in Ottawa

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will bid to host a 2028 summit of 90 francophone states and governments in the nation’s capital, a pitch that comes at a time of billions in cuts to foreign aid for an event that could be staged against the backdrop of a language-sensitive debate on Quebec sovereignty. Speaking mostly in English at a...

Abbas Rana

To trigger a nomination election in a Conservative-held riding in the next election cycle, 51 per cent of the membership must vote for one, according to Conservative sources

According to new nomination rules, if a Conservative candidate lost two consecutive elections, they will no longer need a waiver from the party to take a third run, say Conservative sources. It would take the support of 51 per cent of local members to trigger a nomination contest in a Conservative-held riding, according to new nomination rules approved by the...

Stephanie Levitz

Conservative MPs lose near-automatic ability to run again in next election

Conservative MPs no longer have a lock on running as candidates in the next election under new rules adopted by the party’s national council. Two party sources told The Globe and Mail the new rules allow a majority of party members in a riding to force an incumbent MP into a nomination race in minority Parliament situations. In majority Parliaments...

Plan in works to save some jobs slated to be cut at Algoma Steel: union

Plans are in the works to save hundreds of the roughly 1,000 jobs slated to be lost at Algoma Steel Inc. in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Bill Slater, president of United Steelworkers local 2724 that represents some of the affected employees, says as many as 500 people could be back at work by the end of next year. He says...

Kyle Duggan, David Baxter

Carney announces $400M joint fund with city of Ottawa for affordable housing

The federal government is partnering with the city of Ottawa to put $400 million to help build up to 3,000 affordable homes in the capital, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday. The city will speed up the construction of homes by waiving development charges, permit fees and property taxes, Carney told a crowd of businesspeople at a regular breakfast event...

Kate McKenna, Salma Ibrahim

Anti-hate bill stalled after Fraser’s office brokered deal without PMO approval: sources

Bloc Québécois leader says Liberals agreed to remove religious exemption to hate crime laws. The future of the federal government’s anti-hate Bill C-9 is unclear after Justice Minister Sean Fraser’s office brokered a deal with the Bloc Québécois without getting it approved by the Prime Minister’s Office, sources tell CBC News. Bill C-9 proposes new Criminal Code offences, including one...

David Baxter

PM says back-to-office plan for bureaucrats coming soon as MPs call for flexibility

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday his government's plan to get public servants to spend more time in the office will come into "sharper view" over the next several weeks. The issue came up when Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe asked Carney about the prospect of public sector job cuts during the mayor's monthly breakfast event with the Ottawa Board of...

Bruce Anderson

Satisfaction with Carney government up 3 points to 62% - as voters think differently about economic challenges.

Normally if people are down about the economy they are angry at government. It’s more complicated right now, as people see economic pressures from outside our borders. Other than tagging every scandal something-gate, It’d be hard to find a more overused phrase in modern political analysis than “it’s the economy, stupid”. In 1992, James Carville wrote it on a sign...

Lynn Chaya

Ottawa announces new immigration measures for foreign-trained doctors

Ottawa is introducing a new “express entry” category for foreign-trained physicians in an effort to address health workforce challenges in Canada, the federal government announced Monday. “We’ve seen the strain in our emergency rooms, we hear it from families waiting for a doctor, and we feel it from the front-line staff who are stretched thin,” Minister of Immigration, Refugees and...

Catherine Lévesque

Pipeline politics are making strange bedfellows, as Bloc leader and B.C. premier meet up

A potential pipeline to the West Coast has created strange political bedfellows. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a meeting with British Columbia Premier David Eby on Dec. 2, only days after the federal government signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alberta paving the way for a new bitumen pipeline. Blanchet offered his help to B.C. last week —...

Benjamin Lopez Steven, John Paul Tasker

Conservative motion will force Liberals to 'put up or shut up' on oil pipeline support: Poilievre

Motion calls government to support oil pipeline construction, adjust B.C. oil tanker ban. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his party's upcoming motion — which borrows language from the new Canada-Alberta energy agreement — is meant to force the Liberals to "put up or shut up" on whether they support a new oil pipeline to the Pacific coast. "The only thing...

Abbas Rana

In precarious economic times, Carney goes all in on oil pipeline, leaving some B.C. Liberal MPs nervous

With United States President Donald Trump threatening to end the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and imposing tariffs on goods and services from this country, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s high-stakes decision to sign a memorandum of understanding for an oil pipeline with Alberta is risky. It could also give a political opening to the federal NDP and Green Party in British Columbia...

Anja Karadeglija

Montreal hosts G7 ministers to talk about artificial intelligence, quantum computing

Artificial intelligence is likely to take up much of the agenda as industry, digital and technology ministers from the world’s most powerful Western countries meet in Montreal this week. The two-day event is part of a series of ministerial meetings being held as Canada holds the presidency of the G7 group of nations this year. Prime Minister Mark Carney hosted...

Trump says 'We'll see' on whether to restart trade talks with Canada

U.S. President Donald Trump answered "we'll see" when he was asked Sunday whether he'd resume the trade talks he halted with Canada earlier this year. Trump made several comments about the ongoing trade dispute with Canada as he spoke with reporters outside a gala for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors. He says he has a good relationship with Prime Minister...

Stephanie Ha

‘Never say never’: Green Party leader on future support for Liberal government

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is leaving the door open to support the Liberal government, despite recently calling her vote in favour of the federal budget a “mistake.” “It certainly seems that way, but I’m a bridge builder, and I never say never,” May said in an interview with CTV Question Period airing Sunday, when asked if Prime Minister Mark...

Daniel Leblanc

American F-35s could be serviced in Quebec starting in 2028-29, says L3Harris

Proponents say U.S. approval — and Canada's full order of jets — would be necessary. Companies involved in the F-35 program are actively lobbying the governments of Canada and Quebec to promote potential economic benefits for the country, including maintenance facilities north of Montreal — but such benefits are only promised to materialize if the government makes good on its...

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau share relationship photos from Japan trip on Instagram

After first igniting romantic rumours with a lunch in Montreal in July, Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry looked to firm things up on Saturday. Perry posted images of the two of them on her Instagram, among other photos from a trip to Japan where she performed earlier this week on her Lifetimes Tour. She captioned the post "tokyo times on...

Abbas Rana

New rules authorize Poilievre to appoint eight candidates next election in ‘substantially revamped nomination process,’ say Conservative sources

In a break from its tradition, and for the first time in its history, the Conservative Party’s national council has authorized the party leader to appoint eight candidates in ridings across the country for the next election, say Conservative sources. “The council has agreed to eight appointments [by the leader],” a senior Conservative told The Hill Times. “Basically [there is]...

Lisa Johnson, Lisa Johnson

Alberta's Smith says courts should not be gatekeepers on constitutional questions

EDMONTON -- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says those seeking an independence referendum should not have "gatekeepers," like the courts, standing in their way.

Eleanor Wand

Chief says feds’ engagement with First Nations ‘needs to improve,’ after ‘very limited’ contact on major projects

On the heels of adopting a resolution against Ottawa’s new energy deal with Alberta at an annual meeting of First Nations chiefs, a Manitoba grand chief says engagement with the government is “very limited” on a major project proposed in that province. “There’s a lot more work that needs to be done in terms of consultation; duty to consult; free...

US Poli

David Klepper, The Associated Press

National Park Service drops free admission on MLK Day, Juneteenth while adding Trump's birthday

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Park Service will offer free admission to U.S. residents on President Donald Trump's birthday next year -- which also happens to be Flag Day -- but is eliminating the benefit for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.

Alanna Durkin Richer And Olivia Diaz, The Associated Press

Grand jury rejects new mortgage fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- The Justice Department failed Thursday to secure a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge dismissed the previous mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Stephen Groves And Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press

Navy admiral tells lawmakers there was no 'kill all' order in attack that killed drug boat survivors

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Navy admiral told lawmakers Thursday that there was no "kill them all" order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinizes an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela.

The Associated Press

Pentagon watchdog finds Hegseth put US personnel at risk with Signal use

The Pentagon's watchdog found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday.

International

Ryan Cooke

Canada 'continues to monitor' U.S. boat strikes in Caribbean as questions swirl and allies squirm

Kelly Geraldine Malone

Carney, Trump and Sheinbaum to meet at 2026 World Cup draw in Washington

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Washington Friday as the future of the continental trade agreement hangs in the balance. The 2026 World Cup draw will mark the first time all three leaders have gathered in person. It comes ahead of next year's mandatory review of the...

Dylan Robertson

Europe says Canada must pay 10M euros to join EU defence deal

The European Union says Canada will need to pay 10 million euros to join a defence procurement agreement with the continent -- a price tag that is raising questions about how much investment the pact will generate. Canada this week officially joined the 150-billion euro program called Security Action for Europe, or SAFE, which is part of the ReArm Europe...

Dylan Robertson

Freeland calls Ukraine a 'fantastic investment' as Ottawa pledges $235 million

Former federal minister Chrystia Freeland says Ukraine can become an economic juggernaut and boost European economies by taking up the opportunities it missed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Freeland, appointed in September by Prime Minister Mark Carney as his special envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine, gave her first major speech in Canada about the role on Tuesday.

Catherine Morrison

Ministers McGuinty, Anand announce more than $200 million in funding for Ukraine

The government is pledging another $235 million in funding for Ukraine, with National Defence Minister David McGuinty and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announcing Canada's latest commitments. McGuinty says Canada will work with NATO allies to purchase a package of critical military capabilities sourced from the United States valued at around USD $500 million. Canada's contribution to the Prioritised Ukraine...

Think Tank

Vina Nadjibulla

What Trump’s New National Security Strategy Means for Canada’s China Policy and Indo-Pacific Engagement

With the release of the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), the Trump administration has delivered a comprehensive articulation of how it sees America’s core interests, what it expects from allies, and how it plans to compete in a world defined by great-power rivalry and economic insecurity. Whatever one thinks of its ideological framing or tone, the document is strategically significant...

Brad Epperly, Geoffrey Sigalet

Risking public backlash? Canadian universities and demographic-based faculty hiring

Canadian universities routinely use demographic criteria to restrict who is eligible for a faculty position. How do these policies shape public attitudes towards the university sector?

Thomas S. Axworthy

Fire, Water, and National Security: Why Canada Cannot Backslide

In September of 2023, Michael Miltenberger, former deputy premier of the Northwest Territories, spoke at a Massey College-Forum for Leadership on Water conference called The Future of Freshwater. Miltenberger described how just weeks earlier, wildfire had forced the evacuation of his own community of Fort Smith (yes, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s hometown). As he prepared to escape the Wood Buffalo...

Substacks

A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.

Dean Beeby

Remembering Stephen Thorne (1959-2025)

Stephen Thorne has died. The bitter, unexpected death of a tough journalist who wrote about death but couldn’t report on his own. He’d have written a damn fine story about it. I was his boss for years, in Halifax and Ottawa, though Stephen had no time for bosses. He followed his nose for stories whether or not anybody asked for...

Steven Staples

“Kill everybody.” Will Canada be dragged into Trump’s potential war crimes?

The Canadian government has avoided commenting on the United States’ controversial targeting of alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Caribbean waters.

Steven Staples

Why Canada's defence budget is upside-down

I went back to Ottawa this week. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the nation’s capital to talk about peace issues, so when the Senate of Canada contacted me, I had to go. Prime Minister Carney’s Budget 2025 is making its way through Parliament, and the Senate’s Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs asked me and...

Podcasts

Scott Galloway gettin' laid

David Herle, Scott Reid, Jordan Leichnitz, and Kory Teneycke provide insights on the latest in Canadian politics.

Say hello to pro-pipeline First Nations in B.C.

Listen to the premier of B.C., or the CBC, or the Association of First Nations and you’d think that Indigenous groups on the West Coast are determined to stop a new oil pipeline from Alberta. As MP Ellis Ross, former chief councillor of the Haisla Nation near Kitimat, tells Brian, a lot of First Nations are open to the opportunity...

U.S. Politics! Pentagon scandals, ICE targets Somalis

Today, we bring you a wrap on U.S. politics. We begin with two scandals plaguing U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth, from allegations of war crimes to a scathing report accusing him of mishandling classified military intelligence. And we cover the fallout from President Donald Trump’s tirade against Somali immigrants, including a surge of ICE raids in Minneapolis. Plus, the politics...

What can we expect from Canada at the World Cup?

After a long, cringe-laden ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., we finally had confirmation of the 12 groups that will comprise the 23rd FIFA World Cup. And get this, Canada could potentially host Italy to open their 2026 campaign in Toronto. How did Canada get here? How will they fare against the world’s best? And will this World...